Automatic feeder



Patented Apr. 3, 1923.

y Uruiflafn sfr-Aras JOHN BRODNER, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.'

AU'roMATrc FEEDER.

Appnoation med May 31,

To all who/m, t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN BRODNER, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Wash- 6 ington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Feeders, yof which the following yis a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic feeders'and the object of my invention is to provide a feeder adapted to automatically feed chickens' or other fowls at any desired and predetermined time.V

Another object is to providean automatic feeder embodying` novel closure means adaptedto be automatically actuated by a suitable timing mechanism.

A further object is to provide anautomatic feeder embodying novel centrifugal or distributing means adapted to be automatically actuated by the falling feed to thus distribute the same over a large area.

A still further object is to provide an auvtomatic feeder embodying simplicity, du-` rability and economy in construction, that is positive and elicient in operation and that will not readily get out of order. e With the above andother objects. in view which will'appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel con- 30 struction, combination, adaptation and arrangement' of parts hereinafter described and' claimed; I

Iaccomplish theseobjects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings where 1nf l `v Figure 1 is a view in rear end elevation of an automatic `*feeder embodying the fea-L tures of my invention, part of the door of the feeder being broken away to more clearly illustrate the -position of the vtiming mechanism.

2 isa view in vertical longitudinal section of the'same taken on a broken line 2, 2'of Fig. 1.

3 is a top planyiew of the centrifugal member adapted for use with my device asit would appear when removed from the same, and V Fig. 4 .is a view in horizontal section of my feeder taken on a broken'line 4, 4 of Fig. l2.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference numerals designate like parts, the f numeral 10 designates my auto* maticvfeeden'which comprises acasing 11,'Aa upporting bail 12', a removablebottom 13,'a

1921. 'serial No.473,9`8`7. e i i ball ,valveorclosure 14, a cord 15, a drum 16, a timing or'clock mechanism 17, a stop .l

18, a'suspensionkor hanger member 19 and a centrifugal or distributing lmember" y20.V L: i The casing 11 is adapted Lto be normally disposed kin a vertical plane andisformed substantially rectangular in' crosss'ection, being providedL substantially midwayfof its height, thereby with a transversely; disposed horizontal wall 21, to therefbyform a lower compartment 22 for the reception and stor-` age of the feed or grain and an 'upper com-V partment 23 adapted t0 receive the ktiming mechanism 18. e l. 'y e The supporting bail 12 isadapted `to be pivotally secured or attached at Lits lower ends '24.to Athe upper ends of the sidewalls of thecasing 11 in any wellfknown manner, and in medial relation with respectto the said walls. o f The removable bottom 13 isfada'ptedto serve asa closure for thevlo'wer end ofthe lower compartment 22, the said bottom 13 having downwardlyconverting walls' 25 which z, yterminate in a circular" dischargeaperture 26 formed on thelfower end of said bottom 13. j u To. properly support the -bottomy in its normallyoperative position within thecasing 11 I'have provided the walls ofthe casing `11 contiguous to theirV lower kends with,` inwardly and downwardly convergent flanges or lipsA 27,0n which the hottomgl is adapte ed to normally restas shown in Fig. 2. The ball valve 14 isadapted' to normally seat in the lower end, of the bottom 13 `to thus serve as a closure: for the discharge` ap` erture 26 formed in saidbottom 13.` o,

The cordll isk adapted to bekfixedly fsecuredat its lowerend to the ballrvalve 14, while'fat its upper end it is, adapted to pass through an yopening 28 formed in the liorify lzontal wall 21 and thence upwardlygo'ver the drum 16 tobe, attached thereto, inany well knownmannerm The drumf 16 is adapted to be mounted upon and fixedly secure'dto an arbor: 29fo`f the timing mechanism 17,",which timing mechanism may be formedfromany well known. type of alarm clock. The arbor 29 of said timing .mechanism is normally the winding stem ofthe alarm mechanismmof said v'alarm clock` n .e n In practice I dispose the timingjgfmechafnsm'17 within the upper compartmentZB f adjacent the forward end and to one side of the same, as shown more clearly in the drawings, to thuskbring the cord in vertical central alignment with the discharge aperture 26.

To facilitate and expedite the setting vof y the timing mechanism 17, I have provided the forward wall of the upper compartment 23 with an opening 30, which opening is adapted to coincide and register .with the dial portion of said time mechanism.

To further facilitate and expedite the setting of the timing mechanism and to render ing 11,,as more clearly shown in Fig. 2.

" To facilitate and expedite the filling or replenishing of the lower compartment 22 with the desired feed or grain, I have formed `and provided in the horizontal wall 21 of the casing 11 a rectangular opening 33, which opening is medially disposed in said horizontal wall adjacent the rear end thereof, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4.

The suspension or hanger member 19 is adapted to be suspended from the lower end of the casing 11. The said member comprising downwardly divergent portions 34 and upwardly bent convergent portions 35 all of which may be formed integral from a round rod, as shown in the drawings.

rIhe upper" ends 36 of the downwardly divergent portions 34 are adapted to be pivotally secured in the forward and rear walls of the casing 11 adjacent the lower1 ends thereof and in medial relation thereto, as shown in Fig. 1.

The upwardly convergent portions 35 arek bent to extend upwardly at a slightly lesser angle than the angular disposition of the downwardly divergent portion 34, and are adaptedto be joined orv bent at a point substantially midway of the height of said divergent portions 34.v Said convergent portions 35 are provided at their juncture with a concavity 37.

The centrifugal or distributing member 20 is formed in the shape of a hollow cone and is adapted to be operatively disposed for rotation upon the suspension member 19 in axial alignment with the `aperture 26.

To minimize or eliminate friction between the centrifugal member 20 and the suspension member 19, I have provided said centrifugal member 2O with a ball bearing 38, which ball bearing 38 is adapted to be secured within the member 20 adjacent the apexthereof and t0 normally seat in the concavity 37 formed in the suspension member 19, when the centrifugal member 2O is operatively disposed thereon.

To positively insure of the proper rotation of the centrifugal member 20, I have provided vthe conical or peripheral walls of said member with a series or a plurality of spaced vanes or blades 39, which vanes may be formed by cutting angular portions in said conical walls and bending said. angularly cut portions upwardly and outwardly to the desired angle or curve.`

To positively insure of the proper and wide distribution of the feed or grain over a large area, I have provided the centrifugal member 2O at its base or periphery with an outwardly projecting annular flange 40, on which said feed or grain is adapted to strike or impinge and be deflected therefrom during the operation of my automatic feeder.

In the operation of my automatic feeder with the several elements comprising my device in their proper operative position as illustrated in Fig. 2, the operator or attendant fills the compartment 23 with the desired feed or grain, he then winds the clock mechanism and sets the alarm mechanism for the time he wishes the feeder to actuate and suspends the feeder in any desired position within the chicken coop.

The alarm mechanism of the clock 17 will vthen be actuated; in a well known mannerl at the desired or designated time thereby rotating the drum 16 and winding the cord 15 thereon to thus raise the ball valve 14 from the aperture 26, whereupon the feed or grain stored within the compartment 22 will be discharged from said' compartment and flow through the aperture 26, to thus fall or drop on 'the centrifugal member 2O to thereby rotate the same by striking or impinging the vanes 39 of said member.

In practice and after exhaustive exper'- imentation, I have found it convenient and advisable to form and provide the member 20 with an upper and lower set of vanes to thus greatly increase the action of the falling feed or grain, as said grain after striking or impinging the upper series of vanes will be deflected therefrom t-o strike the lower set of vanes, when it will be again deflected to strike the annular flange 40 from whence it is deflected to the ground or floor.

`It will be readily apparent by referring to the drawings that the force derived from the falling or dropping grain may be also increased by spacing the member 20 at a greater distance from the aperture 26 to thus utilize to a greater degree the force of gravita-tion.

It will also be apparent from the forego ing that the force or energy of the falling grain is greatest when the ball valve 14 opens the aperture 26 and that said force gradually and uniformly decreases as the grain is discharged from the compartment 22, thus causing the centrifugal member 2O to be rotated at its highest speed during the initial discharge of said grain, to thus throw the sameto the maximum distance to thereby cover the maximum area, which distance or area is gradually and uniformly decreased as said grain is discharged and the member 2O slows down.

It will therefore be obvious that the foregoing action is productive of the maximum and desired results as the feed or grain is thus uniformly and evenly distributed over a considerable area.

The stop 18 on the cord 15 is adapted to normally abut the horizontal wall 21 when the valve 14 is in an open position, to thus limit vthe travel of said valve as will be obvious.

If desired the distributing member 20 may be fixedly secured in an operative position upon thev suspension member 19, in which event the falling grain strikes or impinges said distributing member 20 and is deflected therefrom without rotating same.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and the method of operation of my automatic feeder will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, to thus enable those so skilled to construct and operate the same, but, while I have shown and described the construction and operation of an automatic feeder embodying thev features and principles of my invention, which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the automatic feeder vshown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be vmade when desired as are within the scope of my invention and embodied in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. An automatic feeder comprising a storage container, means for automatically discharging the feed from the container, a feed distributor suspended' beneath the container, the distributor and mounting `thereofembodying a wire frame having outer side bars diverging downwardly, and a central inverted V-shaped frame portion having the apex vertically alined with the discharging means and said distributor embodying a conical shell.

2. An automatic feeder comprising a storage container, means for automatically dis-y charging the feed from the container, a wire frame bent intermediate the ends thereof to providea central inverted V-shaped portion, with the free ends of the wire frame freely mounted in the opposite side walls of the container adjacent the lower end thereof, a ball bearing supported at the upper end of the inverted V-shaped portion, and a coneshaped deflector rotatably supported on the ball bearing of the inverted V-shaped frame.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of May A. D. 1921.

JOHN BRoDNER. 

